The Chase
by CrypticGirl
Summary: Solon teaches Cashel his ways of tormenting his victims, using Jay as the helpless test subject. Meanwhile, Moses will stop at nothing to save Jay. Concluded 02.01.07.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: ToL and all contents therein are the property of Namco.

Author's Note: A note of thanks to Annamae Tezuka for helping me come up with the ideas in this story. )

The Chase

Moses was humming an incoherent tune as he walked down the road in the Oresoren village, dragging a large brown sack on the ground. He was headed straight to Quppo's house to visit a certain little unseen spy who lived there. When he entered the house, he went straight upstairs to Jay's room. Jay merely stood in the center of the room, deep in thought. Moses carefully snuck up on the boy, holding the sack open.

However, as Moses was about to throw the sack over Jay's head, Jay rolled forward, effectively dodging the attack.

"Damn, I missed!" Moses exclaimed.

"What the hell are you doing, you stupid bandit!?" Jay shouted. "Are you trying to put me in the nuthouse!?"

"No, just into this sack," Moses told him.

"Ugh..." Jay groaned in frustration, then moved past Moses, attempting to exit the room.

"Wait a minute, Jay!"

Jay stopped. "What?"

"I got a challenge for ya. I bet ya can't cut your way outta this sack."

"What kind of challenge is that?"

"It's a good one! If you can't do it, you have to do what I tell ya."

Jay sighed. "Fine. I'm not going to lose to your stupid challenge."

Moses grinned as he held the sack open. "Then come on in!"

Jay moved towards Moses, who gently put the sack over his head, covering his entire body. Moses then laid the boy gently on the floor and tied the end of the sack.

"All right, let's go!" Moses began to drag the sack out of the room.

"Go? Go where?" Jay protested. "You never said anything about going anywhere! Moses!"

Moses ignored his protests as he dragged the sack back down the roads, eventually leaving the Oresoren village.

------------------

Cashel stepped into one of the empty rooms on the Legacy's bridge. There, he found Solon in the center of the room practicing his combat skills. Solon swung his sword in different strokes. He then performed a double flip, then landed on his feet and gripped his sword with both hands.

"Solon..." Cashel called.

Solon swung his sword at Cashel, who quickly moved back to avoid it. "Oh, Cashel. Forgive me; I can get quite excited when I train."

"It's all right. I remember you saying something about a new form of molestation. If you don't mind, I'd like to learn more about it. I'm always used to killing people, but I want to see how much fun it is to toy with them."

Solon grinned. "Oh, it's quite fun, let me assure you. In fact, I've been getting these urges lately myself. They say that experience is the best teacher...so what say we capture ourselves a test subject?"

"Sounds invigorating. But which test subject shall we capture?"

"Why, none other than my cute and adorable little apprentice Jay."

"Ah yes, he's perfect! I still owe him for that one time...if it weren't for him, I could have stopped Senel and his friends from reaching the Commander. Yes, it was all because of him!"

Solon put his sword away. "Well then, let us pack up and be on our way."

--------------

Jay poked furiously at the sack with his dagger, but he just could not break through. _What kind of sack is this? And where is that idiot bandit taking me?_

"All right, Jay, we're here!" Moses' voice called.

"Hmm?" Jay could feel the opening of the sack loosening. Moses carefully stood him up and pulled the sack off.

Moses grinned. "Looks like I gotcha."

"Moses, you idiot!" Jay growled. "What kind of sack was that!?"

"A strong one."

"Ugh!" Jay took a look at his surroundings, recognizing them as the Crystal Forest. "Wh...what are we doing here?"

"Nothin' much. I just felt like comin' here. But that don't matter anyway. I won the bet, so you gotta do as I say."

Jay dropped his head. "Fine...what do you want me to do?"

Moses pulled out a silky pink dress, similar to the one Jay had worn to the disco dance. "Put this on."

"What!? Why!?"

"Because you'd look real pretty in it?"

Jay gave the bandit a sour look as he snatched the dress. "Fine, I'll put it on. Just don't peek at me while I'm changing."

"Sure, whatever." Moses stepped back a few steps, then turned around. "And don't you try to sneak out of this either, or there'll be hell to pay!"

Jay began pondering as he stared at the dress. He wanted nothing more than to sneak out of there, but he knew that he would face Moses again sooner or later. And knowing what Moses was capable of, Jay knew that there really would be hell to pay.

As quickly as he could, Jay removed his normal star-spangled outfit and put on the pink dress. "Okay...I'm ready."

Moses turned around. "Ooh, nice! What about the hair?"

Jay felt his own nervous sweat. "What about my hair?"

"Aren't ya gonna take it down?"

"N...No!"

"Fine. Come on!" Moses wrapped an arm around Jay, casually walking down the smooth clear path of the Crystal Forest.

_Damn...I can't believe I ended up getting stuck in a dress again,_ Jay thought.

"I wonder where we're going?" he said out loud.

"Well, I might just wander around the Legacy, showing everyone my cute date," Moses responded.

_Cute date? Moses has one twisted mind..._

Before long, Moses spotted a basket of fruit just sitting in the center of the path. "Ooh, fruit! Let's eat!"

Before he could start running to the fruit, Jay grabbed Moses' backstrap.

"You idiot..." Jay grumbled. "Who in their right mind would leave a basket of fruit in the middle of the road?"

"Hmm...somebody who wasn't very hungry?" Moses spat.

"Never mind...can't you see that this is obviously a trap?"

"No..."

"People give in too easily to temptation. If there was a speck of gald on the ground, people would pick it up without hesitation. Other people may take advantage of that temptation in an attempt to capture or kill them. It's the oldest trick in the book."

Moses gave him an annoyed look. "I have no idea what you just said. So what would you do if you were really hungry?"

"I'd walk over to that tree and pick something, of course."

They both gazed at one of the crystal trees, where shiny red apples were hanging.

"Can we even eat those?" Moses asked.

Jay didn't bother to answer as he walked towards the tree with the bandit in tow. However, when they got to arm's length, the ground suddenly gave out from beneath them, and they dropped into a deep pit. The pair picked themselves up.

"What the hell?" Moses gasped.

"_Go for the fruit in the tree," he says, _Moses thought. _And I just had to listen to Jay of all people..._

Jay rubbed his head. "What's going on? Don't tell me...reverse psychology!?"

"Reverse what!?" Moses asked.

"Whoever set this trap knew that we...or rather, I was smart enough to avoid the basket of fruit in the road. So they put a trap here, where the 'smarter choice' would have been."

"Man, I ain't understandin' this at all!"

"Final Embrace!" a rasping voice yelled from nowhere.

Jay gasped as he instantly recognized the voice. "Solon!"

Before they could react, a large block of ice appeared above them and crashed abruptly on top of them, knocking them both out cold instantly. A moment of silence passed before Solon and Cashel came into the open, standing at the edge of the pit.

"From the oldest trick in the book comes the newest trick in the book," Solon remarked with an evil grin.

"Brilliant, Solon," Cashel said. "Absolutely brilliant!"

"Yes, I know my young apprentice well. I knew he'd be smart enough to refuse the fruit in the road. So I set the trap here instead."

"So when can we begin?"

Solon dropped himself into the pit. He pulled out a soft cloth and rolled it up, then pulled the center of it into Jay's mouth, then tied the ends at the back of his head. Solon then took Jay's wrists and began tying them behind his back.

"I believe the bandits' former hideout in the Misty Mountains would be a good starting place."

"That's as good a place as any," Cashel agreed.

Solon stood up, cradling the bound apprentice in his arms. "Prepare yourself, Jay."

Both he and Cashel disappeared in a brown puff of smoke.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Ugh!" Moses struggled to get to his feet. "What the hell's goin' on?"

He looked around, immediately noticing that Jay was gone. "Did Jay get out and leave me here?"

Then a revelation struck him as he remembered what had happened, and the last thing that Jay said before they were knocked out: _Solon._

"Jay's been kidnapped!?" Moses exclaimed. "That bastard!"

He hastily climbed out of the pit. "Giet! Come here, Giet!"

Within seconds, the red grand galf came running to Moses' side.

"All right, Giet! I knew you were nearby! Listen, we gotta go save Jay! Are ya ready?"

"Woof!" Giet responded.

Moses went to pick up Jay's Norma clothes that had been left on the ground. "Here, Giet, get a whiff of Jay's scent."

Giet sniffed at the clothing, then barked again.

"All right, let's go!" Moses called. "No one takes Jay away from Moses Sandor and gets away with it!"

----------------

Solon stood in the bedroom of the bandits' lair admiring his handiwork. Jay the Unseen lay in the bed still unconscious. He still wore the silky pink dress, his limbs were now tied to the bedposts, and he was still gagged.

Cashel entered the room. "He's still unconscious? I'm getting tired of waiting!"

"Yes, but the anticipation will make it much sweeter when he awakens," Solon responded.

"This anticipation is killing me! It's like sitting down to a turkey dinner and not even being able to eat the turkey!"

Solon burst out laughing. "Amusing! In fact, it even gives me an idea. You have my gratitude, Cashel." He grinned as he gazed down upon the boy's unconscious body. "I can hardly wait to go at him myself."

"So how exactly do we start?"

"First, I start off with some taunts. I play with his mind, implying what I might do to him. That will leave him to wonder If I'm actually going to do what I've implied."

"Ah yes, that'll scare him stiff!" Cashel glanced at Jay now. "I wonder why he's wearing that dress?"

Solon shrugged. "Apparently, Moses' mind is twisted in its own way. I thought he'd make a fine partner, but he refused to join me. Perhaps I should start keeping a closer eye on Moses."

"He's just a stupid bandit."

"Jay doesn't seem to enjoy being in that dress...so I'll be glad to remove it for him."

Cashel gave him an odd look. "You undress your victims? What's the point of that?"

"It's something I discovered recently. After the victim is undressed, they feel humiliated, exposed, and vulnerable. When I last played with Jay, I undressed him while he was still unconscious. This time I want him to be awake when I undress him." As he said this, Solon took his sword, carefully sliding it down Jay's body.

At that moment, Jay let out a soft moan behind his gag.

"Ah...my apprentice awakens," Solon remarked.

Jay opened his eyes slowly. It didn't take long to realize his situation. He was wearing the pretty pink dress, tied up and gagged at the mercy of two sadistic ninjas. Jay could only wonder why he was stuck in this position.

Solon and Cashel stood on either side of the bed, leering down at him.

"Hello, Jay," Solon said coldly.

"Were you wondering when I would take revenge on you for bringing about my downfall?" Cashel asked. "Well, today's the day!"

Jay's eyes widened as he jerked hard on his restraints. He gave up when both Solon and Cashel laughed at him.

"It's invigorating just to watch him struggle, isn't it, Cashel?" Solon asked.

"Yes, very much so," Cashel agreed.

"Don't worry, Jay," Solon said. "What we have in store for you is going to be wonderful. You see, Cashel and I got a little...hungry, so to speak. And there's no one better than you who can satisfy our appetite. Yes...we are going to feast well today."

_What the hell are they trying to do!?_ Jay thought.

"First of all, we must prepare him," Solon told Cashel. "Inject him with the right flavors, and warm him up carefully so that he'll come out plump and juicy."

_What is he talking about?_

Solon reached out and began to caress Jay's body. "I begin with a few light strokes of his body, just to emphasize that I am the one in control here. Notice how he's reacting?"

Cashel watched as Jay twisted himself as much as he could, trying to escape from the unwanted touch. "Yes, I see it."

"Now you try."

"Very well."

_I can't believe it..._ Jay thought. _They're just using me as a guinea pig!_

He continued to squirm as Cashel looked down at him for another moment. Then Cashel reached down and began to caress Jay's body in a similar manner. Jay struggled once again, but the restraints still kept him tightly bound. He gave up, dropping himself on the bed.

"Do you feel it, Cashel?" Solon asked. "Do you feel the ecstacy as you dominate over him?"

Cashel smiled behind his mask. "Yes, I do."

"Perfect..."

"Mmph!!" Jay let out a muffled scream as he gave his bonds another hard jerk.

Solon turned to him. "What's the matter, Jay? Do you not like being touched? Well, too bad. Cashel and I have much more exciting things planned for you. Heh heh..."

"Yes, and we're very excited about it," Cashel added.

"So you might as well get used to being touched, since there is absolutely _nothing_ you can do about it!" Solon lightly gripped Jay's left thigh, then slid his hand up his body again until he reached his face. He then pulled his hand back and gave Jay a violent slap to the face.

"Ooh, that had to hurt," Cashel said.

"Don't be afraid to cause some pain every now and then," Solon told him. "In fact, later will entail quite a bit of pain."

Jay's eyes widened as he breathed heavy breaths.

"See how our little friend quivers with anticipation?" Solon pointed out.

"Yes..." Cashel replied. "It seems the anticipation is as painful for him as it was for us. I love it!"

He reached down to stroke Jay's body again. Jay looked away from him, crying out in disgust. Cashel turned Jay's head to face him, then threw a backfist to his face.

"Hmm?" Solon looked up at the window. "I sense something..."

Cashel looked up as well. "I sense it also."

Although Jay couldn't speak with his gag, he too sensed the same thing.

Solon went to the window to see what he was sensing. "It's that bandit!"

"What!?"

Jay's eyes widened again. _Moses!_

As much as he hated the thought, he was very much hoping that Moses would get him out of this predicament.

Solon turned back to the captive apprentice. "What are you thinking, Jay? Are you thinking that the idiot bandit is going to barge in here and save you? Well, we can't let that happen. So we're going to have to move to a new location."

_Which means they'll have to untie me,_ Jay thought. _Once they do, I can break free and rendezvous with Moses._

Unfortunately, Solon knew better than to simply untie him. He pulled out a white cloth, pouring some chloroform onto it. "Sweet dreams, Jay."

Jay made a final attempt to break his restraints as Solon pressed the cloth onto his face. Jay shook his head, but he could not escape the fumes which eventually led to his system. Jay closed his eyes softly as he slipped into unconsciousness.

"All right, Cashel, let's go!" Solon called.

"Yes!" Cashel responded.

-------------

Moses dashed into the hideout with Giet at his side. He immediately rushed to the top floor, the best place for keeping captives. However, when he checked both rooms on the top floor, he found that they were both empty.

"He ain't here!" Moses said. "Damn it all! Giet, are you sure this is where he was?"

Giet gave a whimper in response.

Moses sighed. "I'm sorry, Giet. It's just that...I really care about Jay. I'd never forgive myself if somethin' happened to him. Come on, Giet...let use that scent tracker of yours to find him."

"Woof!" Giet became upbeat again.

"Yaaah!" Moses leaped out the window and hit the ground rolling in front of the entrance. Giet leaped through the window as well, landing deftly on his feet. From there, Giet began sniffing the ground, leading Moses away from the hideout.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"Mmph..." Jay regained consciousness once again. As his senses returned, he found himself tied spread eagle to a bed again, but it was different from the bandits' lair. For one, this bed had a large canopy over it. Secondly, this bed had what looked like large teeth in between the bedposts.

That's when Jay realized his situation. _They tied me to a Mimic Bed?!?_

Cashel and Solon stepped up to the bed.

"Are you awake, Jay?" Solon asked, grinning.

Jay only stared at him for a response.

"In case you haven't noticed, we're in the Man-Eating Ruins now. There's no need to worry about this bed, as we've already killed it. But then again, perhaps I shouldn't have told you that."

Jay shot him a defiant look.

"Can you imagine? Any moment now, the mimic bed could spring to life and _chomp, chomp, chomp!_ It would have been a marvelous sight."

Jay breathed heavily as he could feel his heart pounding out of his chest.

"Oh Jay, that look is priceless!" Solon taunted.

"Aw, the poor thing is scared out of his mind," Cashel cooed.

"All right, Cashel, I think my apprentice is fully warmed up now. Our next phase is to carve the turkey."

Jay gasped at this as he resumed struggling against his restraints. Solon climbed onto the bed, straddling him with his legs. He pulled out a dagger and paused, watching the boy's helpless figure and his desperate protests. It was all music to Solon's ears.

"Be still now, Jay..." Solon said as he brought the knife to Jay's chest. "You don't want me to accidentally cut you, do you?"

Jay kept still, as he did not want to be cut. Solon cut the collar of the dress, then slowly ripped it down the center with his hands, exposing Jay's ivory skin. Jay looked down at himself as Solon rested his palm firmly on the center of his chest. Jay dropped his head down again. That's when he decided that the only thing worse than being tied up and stripped by Moses was being tied up and stripped by Solon.

"Jay..." Solon said, "you're the only person I know who still has baby smooth skin at your age."

"Solon, I think he needs to be carved a little more," Cashel said.

"Ah yes, you're right," Solon agreed.

Solon cut off the left sleeve of the dress, while Cashel cut the right. Then Solon ripped open the skirt, revealing the long white satin slip underneath. Finally, Solon ripped the entire dress from under Jay's body and violently threw it aside.

"Mmph!!" Jay screamed as he thrust himself forward as much as he could, although the ropes still held him strong.

"Jay, shush now..." Solon rested his hand on Jay's forehead, gently pressing him back down. He then laid his sword down on Jay's chest, carefully sliding it down his bare skin. Jay tensed up at the cold caress of the blade.

Cashel took the slip between his fingers. "What should we do with this?"

"Mmph!" Jay tried lifting his head again, but Solon forcefully pressed him back down.

"We might as well leave it on," Solon replied. "It might be something to play with along with our little subject."

"Hmm..." Cashel paused in thought. "What should we do with him next?"

"Mmph!!" Jay screamed as he tugged on his restraints, trying to indicate what they should do. Although he knew that they wouldn't take his suggestion seriously.

"Hmm?" Solon looked down at the helpless apprentice. "Jay, are you trying to suggest that we should let you go? Please, don't make me laugh. We've only carved the turkey. We still have yet to savor the feast."

Solon pulled out a can of whipped cream and sprayed a vertical line down Jay's upper body. He then smeared the cream all over his body with his fingers. Once the cream was spread, Solon slowly licked it from his fingers.

"Mmm...tasty," he remarked.

Jay looked up at him apprehensively. _What's he trying to do?_

Solon leered evilly at his apprentice. "What a mess! Someone's going to have to clean you up."

"Mmph!!" Jay struggled against his restraints with a series of defiant screams.

Solon watched him struggle for a moment, then threw a swift backfist to his face. "Hold still! How am I supposed to lick you if you keep struggling!?"

Jay paused and looked up at him again. _He's going to lick me?!_

"Oh, how delightful," Cashel said acidly.

Solon slowly lowered himself over the captive apprentice and began locking the cream from his body.

"Mmph!" Jay cried out in disgust, praying that this was just a horrible nightmare. He prayed that he would wake up. Or if this truly was reality, he hoped that someone would rescue him soon.

As Solon continued to lick his body, Jay began tugging on the ropes and twisting his wrists. Slowly but surely, he could feel his wrists slipping through. However, he knew that he had to wait for just the right moment before completely freeing himself.

Solon finished licking the cream from Jay's body, then caressed it with his hand. "There, you're all clean. Don't you feel better, Jay? I know you do."

"Mmm..." Jay fell limp, groaning in disgust.

Solon straightened himself, then moved over to Cashel. "Come, Cashel. We should decide what to do with him next."

Cashel nodded. "Yes, sir."

The ninjas turned away from Jay to discuss their next course of action. Jay looked up at then for a moment, then resumed work on freeing himself. He managed to slip the rope up to his right thumb, where it seemed to be stuck.

_Come on, not now!_ he thought

Finally, Jay pressed his wrist down on the mattress to hold the rope and successfully slipped his wrist out.

_Ah, finally!_

Solon and Cashel were still making plans, so they were still unaware. Jay reached over quietly, untying his left wrist. He then sat up and untied his ankles, and pulled the gag from his mouth.

So far, so good. Solon and Cashel still hadn't noticed.

Jay carefully rolled off the bed, placing his feet on the floor, then took a few silent steps towards the two captors. Should he sneak past them, or should he make a break for it as fast as he can?

Without warning, Cashel and Solon vanished in a puff of smoke.

Jay gasped. "What the...!?"

Just as suddenly, Cashel and Solon reappeared on either side of Jay, seizing him by the arms.

"Where do you think you're going?" Cashel asked.

"Did you really think you could escape from us?" Solon added. "It's time to get back on that bed."

They carefully turned around to face the mimic bed. Jay struggled briefly, but no success. He then flipped backwards, breaking free from their grasp. Not wasting any time, Jay turned and fled from the room.

"Why you little..." Cashel growled.

Solon raised his right arm and snapped his fingers, summoning his ninja clan. "Stop him!"

----------------------

Moses entered the Man-Eating Ruins, still following Giet's guidance.

"Did you find anything, boy?" he asked. "You sure this is the place?"

"Woof!" Giet responded.

Moses walked a little deeper into the ruins, while Giet continued sniffing at the ground. Suddenly, Giet perked his head up, barking excitedly.

"What is it, boy?" Moses asked. "Didja find him?"

"Woof, woof!" Giet began running forward.

"Hey Giet, wait up!" Moses cried as he chased the galf.

----------------------

Jay ran into the area with the many divided narrow paths. The ninjas leaped from one path to another in an attempt to corner him.

"Damn!" Jay exclaimed.

Moses and Giet ran into the room from the opposite side.

"Jay!" Moses exclaimed.

Jay looked past the ninjas, spotting the red-haired bandit across the room. "Moses!"

"I'm comin', Jay!" Moses charged into the room, but two ninjas jumped in front of him. "Move, ya idiots! Go, Giet! Rip 'em up!"

Giet quickly pounced on the ninjas, tackling them to the ground.

_I have to reach Moses!_ Jay thought.

He ran as fast as he could, trying to take the clear paths across the room. Suddenly, a ninja jumped in front and behind him.

"Get out of my way!" Jay ordered.

"Yaaah!" The ninja swung his sword overhead, then at waist level. Jay dodged both attacks, but then the ninja threw a hard side kick into his stomach. Jay staggered backwards into the ninja behind him, who grabbed him by hooking his arms underneath Jay's shoulders.

"Hey! Unhand me!" Jay cried.

He lifted both legs, kicking the ninja in front of him, and then threw his elbow backwards, smashing the ninja behind him, breaking his grip.

Cashel and Solon stood at the end of the room watching the conflict.

"We must not let him escape!" Solon exclaimed.

Cashel held up a small dart. "Don't worry, he won't get away."

He aimed the dart carefully and threw it. The dart struck Jay's right thigh as he ran. Jay immediately felt the sting in his leg, followed by the sudden numbness. His leg then caved in, and Jay collapsed to the ground, and the clan of ninjas immediately jumped on top of him.

"M...Moses!" Jay cried, his voice strained.

Moses was on his way to help his "little brother," but a few more ninjas appeared and grabbed him. The bandit struggled his best, but he couldn't get any closer to Jay.

"Get off me!" Moses yelled. "Jay!!"

Finally, all the ninjas vanished simultaneously, leaving Moses, who fell face-first to the floor. Moses picked himself up, pounding the floor as Giet approached him.

"Damn it!" Moses cursed. "We almost had him!"

Giet responded with a whimper.

Moses straightened himself. "Come on, Giet! We ain't done yet! We won't stop until we save Jay! We'll follow him all over the Legacy! We'll follow him all over the mainland! Hell, we'll even follow him to outer space if we have to! We're going to save Jay! Ya got that!?"

"Woof!" Giet barked.

"Let's go!" Moses and Giet ran back down the path to leave the Man-Eating Ruins.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Jay woke to a painful strain in his body. This time he recognized his locations much more easily; it was the Ruins of Frozen Light. He was in a control room, trapped in the center of a cage with electric bolts for the bars. Jay recognized it as the same cage he had trapped the others in when he was forced to betray them. Additionally, Jay was suspended about two inches above the floor by the arms, which were chained to the ceiling. Worst still, his ankles were bound in fetters, connected to a heavy steel ball. Overall, it was a painful position that held his entire body stretched out.

"So you're awake again," Solon's voice said.

Jay perked up, gasping behind his gag.

"You thought you were clever to try to escape from the Man-Eating Ruins, didn't you? But in the end, it was all for naught."

Jay tried to lift his legs to relieve himself from the muscle strain, but his body was still held tightly erect.

Solon caressed Jay's back with one hand while stroking his chest with a cold dagger. "And now I'm afraid you'll have to be punished for that brave but foolish attempt."

"What do you have in mind this time, Solon?" Cashel asked.

"I have the perfect thing." Solon pulled the gag from Jay's mouth. "I want to hear you scream for this one, Jay."

"Solon..." Jay muttered in a strained voice. "You...bastard!"

"Call me whatever you like, but you won't talk your way out of this. Now shut up and scream!"

_Shut up and scream?_ Jay thought. _How am I supposed to do that?_

Cashel approached Jay and began to caress his upper body. "Don't worry, this won't hurt a bit...but it might hurt a lot."

Solon stood at the edge of the cage several feet behind Jay with a whip in his hand. "Prepare yourself, Jay! One!"

He lashed out with the whip, brutally striking Jay's back. Jay gasped, startled by the sudden pain, but did not scream out loud.

"Two!" Solon whipped Jay's back again. Knowing that it was coming, Jay held back his scream.

"Three!" Solon lashed out yet again. Now Jay could feel the blood dripping down his back.

"Such pain! Such pleasure!" Solon changed as he continued the whip torture.

Meanwhile, Cashel was still caressing Jay's body with his hands. "How does it feel to be inflicted with pain and pleasure at the same time?"

"You...call this...pleasure?" Jay spat.

"Oh yes. There is no pleasure greater than this."

"Come, Jay!" Solon yelled. "Cry! Scream!"

Jay winced with every crack of the whip as the nerves in his back were screaming.

"Urgh...no!" he retorted. "I will not! I...will...not!"

Solon lashed out even harder with the whip. "Cry out, damn you! Make it easier on yourself and just scream!"

"No..." Jay said in between gasps. "No..."

Solon cracked the whip one more time before stopping. He then dropped the whip and propped his hands on his knees, breathing heavily. "Damn you, Jay...how dare you exhaust me!"

Cashel stopped his caresses as well. "Solon!"

Solon straightened himself after catching his breath, then walked around in front of Jay. The boy hung his head down, his body trembling slightly. Solon took Jay's chin and lifted his head. Tears streamed down Jay's face, and his eyes showed a pathetic helplessness.

"Hmm, that look will do," he said. "Well Cashel, I think he's had enough."

"Yes, the poor thing looks so sad," Cashel agreed.

"Oh, but I'm having so much fun playing with him."

"Yes, me too."

"I think we should keep him for a while longer. How about you, Cashel?"

"Yes, I agree."

Solon lifted Jay's head again, looking him in the eyes. "Do you hear that, Jay? We've decided to keep you for a while longer! Isn't it invigorating?"

Jay glared at his former master, then snapped at him, biting his hand hard.

"Argh!" Solon cried out, pulling his hand back. Looking at his hand, he saw that Jay had actually drawn blood. "How dare you!"

Solon moved behind Jay, pulling out a bottle of rubbing alcohol, and poured it all over Jay's wounded back.

"AAAAHHHH!!!" Jay screamed as the stinging sensation suddenly consumed him.

Solon grinned. "Ah, that's the scream I've been waiting to hear."

Jay hung his head down, coughing again.

"You're nothing more than a pup," Solon taunted. "A pathetic pup at that."

"But he still has some bite in him," Cashel pointed out.

"There's only one thing a pup is good for." Solon unlocked the chains on Jay's wrists, and the apprentice fell straight to the floor at Solon's feet. "A pup will always grovel at his master's feet."

Jay wanted to get up and run, but he found that he could not. Not only was he still hurting from the whip torture, but his ankles were still chained to the heavy ball as well. Only one thing was on his mind now...or rather, one person.

"M...Moses..." he whispered. "Moses..."

"Hmm?" Solon looked towards the doorway. "I'm sensing that stupid bandit within the ruins."

Cashel shook his head. "He's persistent, I'll give him that much."

"We must move quickly before he arrives."

"Yes, sir."

The ninjas vanished in a puff of smoke, taking Jay with them.

----------------

Moses ran into the room several minutes later with his spear in hand.

"Aw man, we missed 'em again!" he cried.

Giet let out a whine of his own.

Moses surveyed the room carefully. The electric bolts of the cage were still active and the whip was still in the center of the floor.

"But they were definitely here," Moses added. "Come on, Giet! The faster we start lookin', the faster we can find him!"

Giet perked up. "Woof!"

They turned and left the room, quickly making their way out of the ruins.


	5. Chapter 5

Epilogue

Once again, Jay found himself immersed in total darkness...a darkness that would soon be shattered.

"Can you hear me?" Solon's grating voice echoed within Jay's mind. "Wake up, Jay!"

A crushing blow to Jay's face brought him to his senses, if only a little. He opened his eyes and immediately noticed Solon's cruel eyes leering at him.

"Hello, Jay. Do you know where you are?"

Jay took a moment to study his surroundings. He was on a wooden table, bound to it with chains in the spread-eagle position. To his left was a lava pit with a cage hanging over it. To his right was a table with many small instruments strewn across it. Jay knew them all too well; they were instruments of torture.

Jay was already in pain from the torture at the Ruins of Frozen Light. He dropped back onto the table with a series of heavy rasping breaths. He was exhausted, but he resolved to himself that he would not give his captors any more pleasure in torturing him.

Solon grasped Jay's chin, looking him in the eyes. "Have you figured it out yet? Can you guess what's going to happen to you?"

Jay turned away from him.

"Don't ignore me, Jay! It won't save you!" Solon threw another hard backfist to his face.

Jay coughed several times, then went back to his heavy breathing. "Moses..."

"He looks disoriented," Cashel pointed out.

"Hmm..." Solon looked down at the poor boy, who took some more heavy breaths, his chest heaving in and out. "You're right. But no matter. Cashel, watch me molest him at the highest level."

"I can already feel my blood boiling," Cashel remarked.

Solon raised his hands, and his fingertips gave off a red glow, which quickly spread throughout his hands. He grinned as he glanced at the helpless victim on the table. Jay continued his heavy breaths, only semi-aware of what was happening. He could only sense the hands that slowly descended upon him.

Solon planted his hands firmly on Jay's upper body. Jay gasped in between heavy breaths as he felt the incredible burning sensation. He no longer had the energy to fully cry out, but his level of suffering was the same, if not greater than he had felt before.

"Do you feel it, Jay?" Solon asked, grinning. "Do you feel the burn?"

"M...Moses..." Jay whispered in between gasps. "H...Help..."

Solon caressed all over Jay's body with his burning hands. Jay continued his writhes of agony, although there was nothing he could do to stop it or escape.

Solon finally stopped the caresses, but Jay still felt the scorching effect. Solon held up his hands again, and they now began to glow blue. Jay was completely oblivious to everything but the burning sensation in his body.

"Can you feel the heat, Jay?" Solon taunted. "Well, allow me to cool you off."

He began to caress Jay's body again, but now his hands were ice cold. Jay let out a series of short screams in between his heavy breaths.

"That's it, Jay! Cry more!"

Jay paid no attention to the taunts as he tried desperately to escape this frigid grasp. Solon backed off again and simply watched the apprentice suffer from the lingering effect.

"Moses..." Jay muttered once again.

Solon shook his head. "Tsk, tsk, tsk. I don't know why you keep calling out that stupid bandit's name. You should realize by now that he cannot save you."

"Moses...!" Jay called out with the remainder of his strength.

"Shut up!" Solon threw another hard backfist to Jay's face.

"Oooh, that had to hurt," Cashel remarked.

"Does it hurt, Jay?" Solon asked. "Tell me that it hurts. I'll be sure to keep it up."

"Le...Leave me..." Jay said weakly. "L...Let me go..."

"You poor unfortunate soul," Solon cooed. "Let me make it up to you with this."

He unsheathed his sword, placing the blade lightly on Jay's body. Jay tensed up as he felt the blade's cold bite. Grinning, Solon dragged the blade ever so gently down the boy's body and down his left leg. He then stuck the blade within the white slip and dragged the blade back up the inside of the leg, pulling up the slip.

_Oh Nerifes..._ Jay thought. _He's going to rape me..._

"Moses..." he called out once more.

Solon slid his hand up Jay's body and then cupped his chin. "Go ahead and keep crying out. When I'm done with you, the only name you'll be calling out is my own."

Tears began to streak down Jay's face. "Moses..."

Before Solon could go any further, Moses burst into the room with Giet at his side.

"Yahoo! Caught ya red-handed this time!" he yelled. "Come on, bring it!"

Solon paused for a moment before straightening himself. "Moses...I'll reward your persistence."

"Solon, what are you saying?" Cashel asked.

Instead of answering, Solon turned back to the poor apprentice. "Well, Jay, it's been fun. I'll come back for you when I come up with some new juicy ideas."

"Like hell!" Moses snapped. "You ain't gettin' him again!"

"Oh, I will," Solon said. "But for now, we must take our leave. Come, Cashel."

"Very well," Cashel said, disappointed.

"Hey!" Moses yelled.

Solon and Cashel vanished in a puff of smoke. Moses was about to explode, but he remembered that he had something much more important to worry about.

"Jay!" Moses went over to the table, quickly unlocked the chains, and threw them aside.

Jay opened his broken eyes. "M...Moses?"

"Yeah...it's me," Moses said. "What did they do to you?"

"Everything..." Jay muttered. "You stopped Solon before...before..."

"Shh, don't talk no more." Moses reached into his sack and pulled out Jay's star-spangled clothes. "Here...I brought your old clothes."

He took Jay gently by the arm and helped him sit up. The first thing he noticed were the bloody, swollen whip wounds on Jay's back.

"Those bastards are gonna pay for this!" Moses growled.

"Moses..."

"Here, lemme help you get dressed."

Moses pulled out Jay's shorts and carefully slipped them on under his slip.

"Moses...I didn't give in..." Jay said softly. "There was one thing...one hope that I held on to..."

Moses took Jay's jacket and carefully put it on, pulling his arms through the sleeves.

Jay continued his story. "The hope that I held onto...was you. I kept waiting...I kept hoping that you would come for me."

Moses stood up and grinned. "Hey, you can always trust me 'n' Giet! Now let's get the hell out of here and fix you up with some crystal eres. Here, Giet, gimme your back."

"Woof!" Giet stepped up to the table, standing erect. Moses placed Jay carefully on the galf's back, and then they left the fortress.

-----------------

Solon and Cashel returned to the Legacy's bridge to reflect on the fun they'd had.

"Why did you let him go!?" Cashel snapped. "We were so close; we could have killed him at any time!"

"I never had any intention of killing him," Solon responded. "If I kill him, who would I have to torture?"

"Well, there's always the Merines."

"No...she's too weak, too frail. It wouldn't be any fun. But Jay...he's tough. I know he'll make it last. You saw it yourself, did you not?"

"Yes...but if you don't want to kill Jay, what will happen when the Commander finishes off Senel and his friends?"

"I've already asked the Commander to spare Jay. Once I have him, there'll be no need to stay within his ranks anymore."

"But you could have taken him now!"

"If I took him now, it would only be a matter of time before Senel's group rescues him. Letting him go was the only way to get that stupid bandit out of our hair."

Cashel stroked his chin. "Hmm, you do have a point. But as long as Jay is alive, he poses a threat to the Commander."

"That won't be a problem," Solon said. "Once Senel's group is finished, I'll take Jay back to the mainland, where not a single soul would lift a finger to save him. Those meddling Oresoren wouldn't dare leave the Legacy either."

"Ah, that's true too. You know, Solon, catching Jay seems to be your only objective."

"Yes, it is."

"But why? You only joined the Commander just to get Jay? Why would you go to that trouble?"

Solon gave him an ice cold stare, indicating that he was quite serious. "Cashel...would you laugh if I told you that I love Jay?"

Cashel was taken aback. "You must be joking!"

"Do I look like the joking type?"

Cashel paused, as Solon certainly did not look like the joking type.

Solon walked up to Cashel, getting right into his face. "Mark my words. I love that boy. I want him back! One way or another, I will get him back!"

He turned and left the room, leaving Cashel thoroughly stunned. Cashel's eyes widened, for no one else could have struck fear into his frigid heart.

"Consider them marked."


End file.
